Stay in the loop

Sign up for our free email newsletter. Unsubscribe anytime or contact us for details.

Overlooking Toronto's junction rests the shell of Tower Automotive. Built in the first quarter of the 20th century, and closed in 2006, the former sheet-casting facility is currently being redeveloped into studio space. Thankfully, the tower itself--a 10-story building which no one in the neighbourhood can miss--as well as the facade of the low-lying former machining areas, will be preserved.

I have been visiting this location for several years now, and have been fortunate enough to witness this stunning transition: once a derelict industrial site, it will soon be renovated and re-inhabited. The redevelopment of abandoned buildings is usually a discouraging and disappointing affair but, if things go as planned, Tower Automotive will become the happy exception to this grim rule.

The property has had a long and interesting history, which you can read about

on a fellow explorer's website; here I'd rather show you some of the unique characteristics of the building as it existed before its current truncated state...

Always remember to wash your hands first...

Most of the 'tower' itself was actually quite empty; the top floor, however, housed the main offices, the central map being a rather prominent item...

The machine areas on the ground-level were particularly interesting...and colourful.

I am always drawn to unique views of Toronto as a whole, and given its location, Tower offered a fantastic view..

I was talking to one of the current developers, and apparently the redevelopment will incorporate the smoke-stack, a familiar feature of the property...

I always find myself casting sidelong glances at this beautiful building whenever I pass through this area: the bold location, the striking windows, and the obscure detail-work--every architectural element evokes the era of its construction. It is true that all beauty must change; but the Tower's latest transformation reminds us that so much of what makes our city beautiful is what remains the same.

(To see the rest of the snaps, as well as high-res. versions of those above, you can check out my Flickr slide-show below.)